Megawati will express empathy with Acehnese

Megawati will express empathy with Acehnese

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil
acknowledged that President Megawati Soekarnoputri would bring
nothing concrete to resolve the Aceh problems in her planned
visit to Aceh, but she would just express her empathy to the
Acehnese, who have suffered due to prolonged conflicts.

"An expression of empathy and tender concern is expected to
constitute a more positive impact than empty promises," he said
in a meeting with reporters at his residence here on Saturday.

Matori denied that the postponement of the President's visit
from the previous schedule on Sunday was caused by government's
unclear political agenda on the visit.

He said the delay was due to technical reasons and confirmed
that the visit would take place by the end of next week.

"The point is not the technical matters but that the President
will go ahead with her plan to visit the Aceh province early
September," he said, adding that he would be part of the
President's entourage.

Asked about a possible review of Presidential Instruction No.
4/2001, Matori asserted that the government had no intention of
reviewing the instruction.

"But evaluation of its implementation in the field is
necessary because the instruction has a comprehensive approach
the government would do its best to resolve the conflict."

"The instruction stipulates political dialogs, economic and
infrastructure development, law enforcement and a limited
military operation to calm mounting tension in the troubled
province," he said, adding that the government would implement
all things required by the instruction simultaneously.

Denying speculations, he said that both the police and the
military would not launch fresh operations to quell the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM).

"The rebels are part of Acehnese people, our brothers. They
are not our enemies. The government will treat them as citizens
who have taken up arms because of their dissatisfaction with
improper policies toward the province in the past," he said.

He acknowledged, however, that limited military operations had
been launched to crush GAM actions in order to improve security
in the province, a basic precondition for dialogs, economic
development and the implementation of the special autonomy.

"It is impossible for the government and the Acehnese people
to hold dialogs and accelerate economic development in Aceh
unless conditions are normal," he said.

He said security authorities had taken tough measures against
rebels who threatened security. "Things have run according to
standard procedure," he stressed, rejecting allegations that
Indonesian Police and military had been too arrogant in their
actions against the separatists.

Separately, Air Force chief Air Marshall Hanafie Asnan told
reporters on Sunday that the Air Force has yet to prepare fresh
combat troops to support a prospective military operation in the
troubled Aceh province.

"Of course as part of the Indonesian Military (TNI), we have
to deploy new combat troops should we are required by the TNI
chief to strengthen the security operation in Aceh," Hanafie told
reporters after chairing a closing ceremony of the Jakarta Air
Show (JAS) at Halim Perdanakusumah air base in East Jakarta.

"I haven't received any information about the military
operation. I've prepared my troops to support such troops
deployment or help evacuation there," Hanafie said.

The TNI is scheduled to hold an exchange of the operation's
troops early this month in order to refresh the existing troops
stationed in Aceh since May.

According to Hanafie, the Air Force has deployed three
companies of its combat troops from the Air Force's special force
Paskhas to join the existing Aceh Military Operation (Kolakops),
which also consist of other special troops from the Navy and the
Army.

"Joining the three companies of the Air Force's Paskhas is the
Air Force's intelligence detachment called Bravo," Hanafie said.

The Army's Special Force (Kopassus) Education Unit at
Batujajar, Bandung, West Java, has reportedly prepared its troops
for the deployment as well.

Meanwhile in Bandung, West Java, the Army Chief of Staffs,
Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, asserted that the Army would not
tolerate any separatist demand from the Unitary State of the
Republic of Indonesia voiced by armed civilian groups in Aceh.

"Separatist movement is violating the law, as they are
conducting a rebellion. Should they (the armed civilians)
continue this rebellion, there will be no choice for us than to
combat them," Endriartono said as quoted by Antara. (rms/tso)